Tag Archives:recipes

Do you remember that Simpson’s episode? The one where the Mayor’s nephew was telling the waiter to say ‘Chowder’ in a certain way? We can’t eat or talk about chowder without trying to reenact that scene. Anyway….

here’s the round up of delicious recipes from the Good Eats crew this week!

1 – Check out Life in Pleasantville’s Lobster and Corn chowder. I love lobster and putting it into a chowder on a cold winter’s day is a perfect idea.

2- I’m a Mac and Cheese traditionalist – I don’t like to fool around with the recipe my grandmother used – but doing it in the slow cooker like this Domesticated Momma recipe seems like a pretty smart way of reducing the stress of stove top cooking.

3- Chicken always needs a flavour avenue, and almost anything goes well with it, but peanut butter and chicken are one of my favourite combinations. Check out A Peek Inside the Fishbowl’s take on PB and C 😉

I’ve recently become a member of a group of food lovers who share recipes via our blogs, Pinterest and so on. We’ve decided to collaborate to share recipes with our various readers.

I am often asked where I find recipes or how I mean plan (er, I don’t really), but my favourite recipes are usually ones that someone else has tried and commented on – if an original recipe was too spicy, I appreciate they flag it for me. That’s how I try to write my recipe notes as well – what did I change? What worked? I substitute like crazy so I need options.

Each Friday, the intention is to bring you some new recipes. You may have spotted them before on other blogs if you already follow the author, but if not, it’s a great way to introduce you to some new tricks to try in the kitchen.

This week, check out these options and get ready to fill out your grocery list. Enjoy!

It’s no secret that I like to cook. And now that the kitchen is actually functional and pretty it’s even more fun to cook in. But while I do like cooking for Andy and I often, it’s nice to also open our home and entertain once and a while.

I often host family gatherings that surround food, or have my parents or other couples over for elaborate dinners. These are always done on the weekends when Andy is home to keep the kids busy (and help clean!) and we spend significant time planning a menu and shopping.

Last night I had my parents for dinner and prepared the following (I’ve linked to the recipes I used, if no links it’s because I just made it up 😉 :

I have to say the menu was a huge success and while I can’t help with the actual preparation of these items (except to say that they were easy to make!) I can give you my tips to entertain and host a fancy dinner without spending your whole visit in the kitchen.

Tip 1: Prepare as much as you can ahead of time or select easy courses

I did the bacon whiskey jam earlier in the day and had the pork almost ready to go in the oven before my parents got here. The lemon lime frozen yogurt was also done ahead. I also chose the dessert specifically because I knew it had a quick prep and a quick bake time.

Tip 2: Delegate! Pre buy where it makes sense

I didn’t make the bread, but buying a local kind introduces the group to something new and surprising but without me doing the work. The same could be said of the dessert. While I made it last night, I could have easily gone to the bakery for a treat. There’s nothing wrong with that!

Tip 3: Presentation counts

Ever watch cooking shows and see how the food is presented? Or read a magazine and think it looks so amazing? I swear to you that almost everything looks better when served on the right dish. My recommendation: Simple white dishes. They are a good investment.

Tip 4: Know Your Menu, Have the Ingredients

I usually don’t mind trying new recipes for Andy and I, and even my parents, but if someone is coming over for the first time, chances are it’s not when I’m going to try something new and difficult. I pull out my go-to crowd pleasing recipes. Be sure to plan your menu out then head to the grocery store to ensure you pick everything up and don’t have to make any last minute panicked substitutions (although, I’m notorious for this!)

Tip 5: Fancy Doesn’t Have to Mean Expensive

That entire menu I wrote above? I estimate that to feed 4 adults and 2 children it cost me about $30. Why? Because I planned the menu based on my grocery store sales. I almost did a different protein but when I saw pork tenderloin on sale, I quickly switched.

Tip 6: Do as little on the stove top as possible

The meat and the potatoes were both roasted, which means I just had to pop them in and monitor. The broccoli was done on the stove but that was the only thing and it was easy. I try to maintain only one item on the stove top for ease, and so I can sit in the living room with everyone else and relax.

Tip 7: At the end of the day, it’s the company, not the food

Really, if something gets a little darker than planned or you forget to put out the salad, it still doesn’t matter. The point is to come together and visit and enjoy each others company.

Do you like to host meals at home? What are some of your hesitations about doing so? I’ll try to help!

Yes, I’m still blogging over at A Little Bit of Foodsense (along with fabulous contributors). However, I have been terrible about keeping them up. My iPhone is covered with pictures of recipes, but I struggle to keep up with the recipe writing.

Part of it is simply time. When I’m writing for this blog, or for momstown, those gigs take precedent. But Bit of Foodsense is where my stomach always leads me. I love food, writing about food and capturing those recipes.

This post is a commitment to get BACK into that sharing. Don’t get me wrong, there’s been a lot of eating and cooking going on – it’s just what I do, but it’s the sharing that I need to get better at.

So, in no particular order, here are 5 recipe from Bit of Foodsense that I think you will enjoy – and stay tuned for more!

The idea was to roast your chicken using a bundt pan, add veggies and have everything ready to go.

Did it work?

Yes, mostly. The skin was crispy and the chicken ended up being really moist. The only thing I would change: I wouldn’t include my veggies in the main part of the bundt pan. The juices gathered there which meant most of my veggies were coated in chicken grease. I would put the veggies on the cookie sheet that I put the bundt pan on, and the pan would collect all of the liquid for a quick stove top gravy.

Don’t forget to move the oven rack down to make room for the tall chicken!

The other Pin I tried was a chocolate chip cookie dough ‘dip’ made with chick peas that was supposed to taste like cookie dough.

Welcome to A Little Bit of Momsense! My name is Rebecca and I'm chatting about parenting, family friendly activities, yummy recipes, family travel, and living a life full of love and laughter. Thanks for stopping by!